Monkeying Around With End-of-Life Health Care

The patient “was placed on antibiotics, nebulization treatments and oxygen during the day Tuesday. By Tuesday evening, her condition was improving, ‘but remained lethargic,’ according to a statement. A few hours later, however, she stopped breathing… staff administered CPR for 90 minutes before pronouncing (the patient) dead.”

Not for this patient. Because this patient was Panbanisha, one of the apes from Iowa’s Great Ape Trust. The above description of the ape’s care came from The Des Moines Register, (Great ape dies at troubled D.M. center, 1/7/12).

Here is the great irony: “Low funds, however, did not play a part in the health care Panbanisha received before her death,” according to Ken Schiweller, chairman of the Great Ape Trust, who told The Register, “We will sacrifice anything else before we sacrifice their care. There have been no shortcuts.”

While Obamacare has pulled the plug on the rest of us, no sacrifice will be too great, no expense will be spared in the care of the apes. Oh, to be an ape in America and have that kind of health care!

Ted Townsend, the Great Ape Trust’s founder has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Planned Parenthood in Iowa.

According to the organization’s Annual Reports, Townsend gave between $10,000-24,999 each year in Iowa in 2006 and 2007 and then upped his donations to the $25,000-49,999 range in 2008 and 2009.

In his Message from the Founder on the Great Ape Trust website, Townsend says, “…Great Ape Trust scientists explore the nebulous boundary between human and not-quite human.” (Is there a parallel here somewhere with the baby in the womb that Planned Parenthood sees as not-quite human?)

Townsend goes on to say, “The information emerging from this work has the potential to revolutionize early-childhood education…” Here is a radical idea for revolutionizing early-childhood education: not killing the children before they get there.

Note to Townsend: Planned Parenthood kills an average of one kindergarten class every two days in the state of Iowa.

Comments

Do you currently see a degradation of care in Medicare when compared to care private insurance? Is there evidence that Medicare denies more procedures or claims than private insurers? Our experience is that Medicare is sometimes a bit slow but has not denied coverage or care.

People don’t seem to understand that elected representatives can modify laws to set the level of care. This isn’t being managed in a secret ‘star chamber’ with no appeal. Anything a standards committee sets up that people find unacceptable can be changed by our representatives.